the 2024 Christmas Ornament

the Adventures of Sara Cladlow

I am Sara Cladlow, a social consultant working in Washington, DC. I provide consulting, social training, and event services for both corporate and political clients. I also accept contracts for security investigations requiring a subtle touch.

The 2024 Christmas ornament is in the shape of a coin. It comes with a small hook for hanging on a tree and the face is clad in gold! The ornament comes with a text adventure game installed - Sara and the Christmas Maze. The ornament can also be use as a mini macro-pad for your computer.

Enjoy the 2024 Christmas ornament for its looks, the game, or as a computer accessory!

Ornament Packaging

Gold Clad Face

Clear Acrylic Back

Laser Etched Case

More About the 2024 Christmas Ornament Coin

Three Kinds of Fun

The 2024 Christmas Coin is designed with Jolly Saint Nick on the face. The design this year is clad in gold (but don't go trying to melt it down)! The case has a small hole at the top and there is an included hook for hanging on a tree.

The 2024 Christmas Coin comes with a text adventure game - Sara and the Christmas Maze. The is like the classic text adventure games of the 1980s. The game is accessed using a serial terminal program on your computer and the ornament has a USB connector.

When you first connect the 2024 Christmas Coin to a computer using a USB cable, the colored LEDs will slowly pulse. The little red LED on the back will blick quickly. Once the coin detects a connection from a serial terminal program, running on the connected computer, the little red LED will blink more slowly. (there is video below showing the little red LED)

The 2024 Christmas ornament may also be programmed with CircuitPython. The ornament has three touch pads, three groups of LEDs, and a small speaker. These combine to let the ornament be used as a mini macro-pad for your computer. The first step is to add CircuitPython to the ornament. (Note, this will erase the text adventure game.) You will find CircuitPython for the 2024 Christmas ornament at the CircuitPython website. Connect the ornament to your computer using a USB cable and then double-press the small button on the back. The little red LED on the back will begin to pulse slowly. (there is video below showing the button and little red LED) You will see a new small mass storage device called 'COINBOOT'. Copy the CircuitPython UF2 file to the mass storage device that appears. The ornament will reboot and present as a USB drive named 'CIRCUITPY'. Once you have CircuitPython installed, you can program the ornament to do whatever you like. To get your started, you may download the sample 3-button macro-pad example or the mute button example. First, rename the example '.py' file to 'code.py' and the copy it to the 'CIRCUITPY' mass storage device created when the ornament is connected using a USB cable. The sample assigns left, down, and right arrow keys to the touch pads. Pressing a pad will light the LEDs, sound the buzzer and send the keystroke to the computer just like you had pressed it on a keyboard. You can edit the 'code.py' file to change the keystrokes assigned to the touch pads.

Hints, Clues, and Spoilers

Hint #1:

The game is a circular maze. You enter at the top outer most ring.

Clue #1:

Definitely download the mapping template and print it onto paper. You want to be about to rotate the paper as you move through the maze.

Spoiler #1:

The outer two rings have 64 rooms each. The inner rings have 32 rooms each (the even numbers only).

Hint #2:

There are a few vending machines in the maze. You'll want to have some coins by the time you find them.

Clue #2:

Two of the vending machines have magic jumping beans. They help you get places FAST.

Spoiler #2:

You use the command 'JUMP' along with a room number to transport directly to that room.

Hint #3:

Some rooms have wall text. These are a chronology of Sara's progress through the maze.

Clue #3:

A room with no wall text is not part of the path thru the maze.

Spoiler #3:

Hidden in each wall test is the title of a Taylor Swift song and they are in discography order.

Hint #4:

There is a map in the maze.

Clue #4:

The map shows all the room numbers, and locations of both objects, and obstacles.

Spoiler #4:

The map is on the back of the notice. You can also get it here. The room numbers are in the order you need to travel the maze ... and 'TSwizzle' is a magic command !

LEDs Indicate Mode

Bootloader Mode - mass storage device

The Ornament Coin has LEDs on the back. The single red LED blinks quickly when first connected to USB. It blinks more slowly when playing the game. It pulsates slowly when in bootloader mode, which is used to install CircuitPython. It pulsates quickly if it can not detect a USB host (check your USB cable and it's orientation).